SUPPLEMENTS

Protein Supplementation

Protein supplementation isn’t a necessity by any means. You can realistically get everything you need out of food. The one time of day it can be very beneficial however is post workout, when you require a quick hit of protein. Protein supplementation comes in a number of different types, and it can be very confusing when you walk into the local supplement store, so here is a break-down of what you need to know:

Protein is Protein

Protein is protein. It doesn’t vary as much between brands as the manufacturers will lead you to believe. No protein is twice as effective as another, so why should you pay twice as much? Stick to the basics, and get the right style of protein rather than brand.

WPI (Whey Protein Isolate)

 Whey Protein Isolate is a fast acting type of protein. It begins working almost immediately and is best suited to post-workout. It has no other place in your diet.

WPC (Whey Protein Concentrate)

This is a much cheaper version of WPI, and acts over a much longer period of time. This can be used at any time, but still doesn’t compare to Egg Protein for example as far as effectiveness. WPC is a lot cheaper than WPI and is almost as good, it really is value for money.

Casein Protein

This is a slow acting protein, and generally lasts about 4-5 hours in your system. This is ideal before bed, and for a middle of the night shake. If you have the budget, I’d purchase some of this just to take before bed and it will last you quite some time.

Creatine

 is one of the first supplements that was actually proven to work. What it won’t do, is add 20% to your bench-press immediately. Don’t believe everything you hear about different types of creatine, while it works, you can generally get a decent type of creatine in your pre-workout and this is all you’ll need. If you need more, buy plain old Creatine Monohydrate and it’ll do 95% of what the expensive brands will. Also keep in mind that Creatine Monohydrate is a chemical – all brands are equal. Creatine Ethyl Ester .etc are just slight modifications, and are generally not worth the extra investment. This isn’t ground-breaking news, but it’s generally not talked about within the bodybuilding community, especially by the supplement companies earning a fortune off bringing out ‘new blends’.

Multi-Vitamins

 Multi-Vitamins can greatly help your diet. They’re ideal for helping to supplement the pieces you miss by having a strict diet. When putting together a bodybuilding diet we quite often limit how much variety we have in our food, and neglect the idea of the ‘major food groups’ – quite often this will lead to us neglecting vital vitamins. The best way to take care of this is simply taking a decent multi-vitamin, most of them on the market are fairly priced, and provide you with everything you will need.

Amino Acids

Amino Acids can be categorized into two categories – essential, and non-essential.  Protein is made of amino acids, and if you’re getting enough protein, you’re generally getting enough amino acids. You can however supplement extra BCAA’s (Branched Chain Amino Acids) to ensure you’re getting the best recovery possible. You can also supplement L-Glutamine, because as you get older your body will gradually lose it’s ability to pull the L-Glutamine out of protein, so especially for older bodybuilders it helps to supplement this to ensure you’re recovering as fast as possible.


Pre-Workouts

Pre-Workout supplements are one of the most beneficial supplements possible. Most contain creatine which will give an added strength boost of sorts, and more importantly they contain Caffeine, and the good ones DMAA (dimethylamylamine). Some of the best I’ve tried are Hemo-rage by Nutrex, 1-MR, and Mesomorph. Hemo is the best in my opinion, and I’m not sponsored to say that – it gives great mental clarity and no come-down. 1-MR and Mesomorph are great, but can mess with your head if you take too much. Pre-Workouts give you that extra kick you need to push out the last reps, and last the whole way through the session, especially if you’ve had a hard day at work.